How Do I Apply Empathy Based Listening When Starting a Meeting?

So we all have the question, how do we start meetings? We want to get on their stage, but we know that when we set up a meeting with our clients we have an agenda, something that we want to accomplish. What we want to do, we want to sit with them, meet with them, do small talk, and then just tell them.

 

Today our goal is to cover your annual review. We were going to cover A, B, C and D within that annual review. But let me ask you: of A, B, C, and D, where would you most like us to focus? Or we could even say, you know, today we are scheduled to cover the annual review. But I want to make sure that's where you would like to spend our time today.

 

Is that what you want to do? What's the difference? If we don't ask them that question, we're simply saying we're great at our job. Come to my stage. I've built what we're going to do - in this scene in my movie today. Come on, I'm going to help you in this scene. But when we discover… they know we're prepared, there is an agenda.

 

I'm bringing that agenda to their movie and saying, “Is this what you want to cover? Are you sure?” Is there something that's more important in your movie, in this scene, right now? That's the difference.

 

For more information contact your MFS team at 1-800-343-2829.

Neither MFS nor any of its subsidiaries is affiliated with Eric Maddox. The views expressed are those of the speaker and are subject to change at any time.

FOR INVESTMENT PROFESSIONAL USE ONLY.  Should not be shown, quoted, or distributed to the public.
MFS Fund Distributors, Inc., Member SIPC, Boston, MA

52929.2